<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Regretably many are now gone and the truth is you do not see much of them. The secret is to call them in advance when you need something! SEs get a private phone listing so use it. [/B]</font>
Newbie to the group but not a stranger to traveling.....My $.02 on the concierges:
ORD has three fantastic concierges: Angela, Janice and Paul. In YYC I have dealt mostly with Cynthia (she works the days I typically fly). From dealing with all four, one would never suspect the airline was in any trouble. They seem to put the current situation aside and act like everything is coming up roses.
I merely mention that a member of my family is going someplace and they go out of their way to make sure my family member has a comfortable seat, checks them in so they don't have to stand in line and spends a few minute chatting with them
In speaking with all of them the concierge role is not their full time role anymore. They are also expected to work the check-ins, be the MLL gatekeepers and other odd jobs that keep them scarce. As a result the comment about phoning ahead is right on the money.